The Church: Hospital or Club?
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “The Church is a Hospital for Sinners not a Club for Saints.”
I know it sounds all spiritual and “righteousy” but according to scripture… It’s dead wrong!
According to the word of God this is totally backward.
The church (whether you mean the Body of Christ or more specifically the church service) is not a Hospital for sinners and it is indeed more of a Club for saints!
Let me explain:
A couple of scriptures will help clarify this issue.
POINT #1 – The church is NOT a Hospital for Sinners.
The scriptures says, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15
Jesus never said “Invite the sinner to church” He said GO to where they are and preach to them, which is exactly what He did.
Where in the gospels did you ever see or hear about Jesus inviting sinners to come to the Synagogue?
He went to the marketplace, the seaside, the fields, the mountains, to a wedding feast, where ever the sinners were gathered that’s where Jesus went.
He met them where they were and ministered to them at their level.
Never once did He “invite them to come to church”
So, the church is NOT a Hospital for the Sinner! Not according to scripture.
POINT #2 – The church is definitely a Club for Saints
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Body of Christ – Club
Definition of Club… A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal.
The Bible says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matt 18:20
It also says, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul… they had all things common.” Acts 4:32
Two or three gathered together united by one common bond – That’s the Church… That’s also the perfect definition of a Club!
Church Service – Club
Even if you want to look at it from the perspective of the church service, it’s still like a Club.
The bible says, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Psalms 122:1
Psalms 16:11 says, in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy!
Psalms 150:4 says, Praise him with tambourine and dancing. Praise him with stringed and wind instruments.
The word also says, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God…” Acts 2:46-47
I don’t know about you but when I go to church I enjoy myself and have FUN!
I’m a Bible Teacher so I enjoy teaching the word of God, I enjoy praising and worshiping God, I enjoy fellowship with other Christians, I even enjoy Intercessory Prayer because when I pray, I pray with POWER and I expect God to deliver results… And that’s exciting and enjoyable to me!!!
So, in a way the church service for me is very much like a Club experience… With a major difference, of course!
The difference is in the motive and results.
Sinners go to their Club to enjoy the music, dance, fellowship with other like-minded folks and have fun, sometimes with the possibility of hooking up with someone for sex.
The end result is glorifying to the devil.
When I attend church service I also enjoy myself with the music, dancing and fellowship but my motive is to celebrate God.
When teaching and praying, my motive is to bring glory to God and to be a blessing to others.
I also want to experience “spiritual intercourse” in the worship of Jesus Christ NOT sexual intercourse with a person.
The end result is glorifying to God!
So, I can definitely see the church being a divinely ordained, Holy Ghost filled Club for Believers to worship God and learn how to become more effective Kingdom Builders!
Doesn’t that make sense?
Conclusion
My advice to you is… When you hear these religious, holier-than-thou sounding statements don’t just accept them because they sound nice.
Match them up with scripture and see if they actually pass the test!
May God give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ to test every doctrine to see if it is of God.
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